The game is essentially an arcade racing title, something that isn’t the norm outside of a Nintendo console. Loading up the game shows a pretty bare-bones system that really only allows you to race against AI opponents. Imagine if you loaded up Mario Kart and it had no online component. You’d probably be a little disappointed and it means that Gas Guzzlers Extreme has a pretty finite shelf life

More clunker than Countach, Gas Guzzlers Extreme is like your first car; it’s probably not the best thing in the world, but it’s yours and you love it. It’s definitely a nice title that arcade race fans will enjoy thanks to the sold underlying base. There a tons of cars that you can unlock, parts upgrades to buy, weapons to load and more. All the basics are here to make for a good game.

Gas Guzzlers Extreme is a fun game, but knowing that it’s a shell of it former PC release is a real killer.

Aside from the lack of multiplayer, the real issue comes from the gameplay when you are racing. Nothing about it really stands out and just sort of feels a bit lifeless. All the A.I. opponents fight and race exactly the same so you’re going to feel like you’re racing against one driver, not twelve. But odds are you’ll be a little miffed before the race starts as the load times are pretty abhorrent.

Just how a game like this can feel so generic is impressive in and off itself. You race around tracks and earn money so you can buy lots of goodies. These races are interesting in scope as you can have a normal race, a battle race where weapons are involved and another battle mode where eliminating your opponents is the only goal. The problem is that all these take place on the same tracks and while separate in modes, all play pretty much the same.

You have your main weapon that you buy and then there are lots of pickups that you can roll over ala Mario Kart. You’d expect these to be extreme (as the title suggests), but there are all pretty bland. You will run out of ammo, so ammo pickups are a must, but other than that the rest of power ups are all drops like mines, smoke and oil. These are fine, but they all act the same and never feel like they do all that much.

Gas Guzzlers Extreme hurts itself because it’s a fun experience that is easy to get into, but you just keep waiting for more. You just keep expecting the game to really open up, but it never gets out of first gear. This sucks because the PC version of the game featured multiplayer that added some really longevity to the experience so not having it on a modern console is disappointing. You are left with A.I. that is dumb as rocks with names so childish it’s embarrassing to see.

There are a few other modes here as well as tournaments that you need to win and sponsored events that try and mix things up, but these just aren’t enough to keep you coming back for more. If you really want this experience I highly suggest you stick to the PC version as you get a much bigger bang for your buck.

In the end Gas Guzzlers Extreme is a fun game, but knowing that it’s a shell of it former PC release is a real killer. Why would you pay the $25 for what is essentially half a game, where the half you are getting is fairly bog standard?

“A bog-standard combat racing game that is missing the multiplayer component that was on its PC release.”